Shadow Moon
by Ocarion
Summary: Trouble always seems to find Harry Potter, but sometimes he finds it first. When Harry finds an ancient relic, its curse begins changing him, mentally and physically. This is a story of love, hate, hope and sacrifice. This is the story of the Shadow Moon.
1. Home for the Holidays

Shadow Moon ****

Shadow Moon

Title: Shadow Moon - **Category:** Suspense/Drama - **Spoilers:** First Four Books

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Author Name: Ocarion - **Author E-mail:** [psylvr83@hotmail.com][1] - **Rating:** R

****

Summary: Trouble always seems to find Harry Potter, and sometimes he finds it first. When Harry finds an ancient relic, its curse begins. Soon Harry finds himself transforming into something much more than man or animal. This is a story of love, hate, hope and sacrifice. This is the story of the Shadow Moon.

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Chapter 1 – Home for the Holidays

Harry stared out the window of the car as Vernon Dursley drove him back to number four, Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon had wisely left Dudley and Aunt Petunia home, rather than to risk a repeat of what had happened the last time they had encountered a large group of wizards. Harry grinned as he remembered the Ton-Tongue Toffees, and the misfortune they had brought upon Dudley.

Uncle Vernon hadn't said a word to him since they'd been in the car, and didn't look like he was in the mood at all for a conversation. Harry, for once, didn't care – he didn't want to talk to Vernon Dursley as much as Vernon Dursley didn't want to talk to him. The only fact that comforted Harry was that he still had the threat of Sirius Black, his godfather, to protect him against anything that Uncle Vernon might pull. Uncle Vernon knew this, too.

They arrived back at the house shortly, and Uncle Vernon didn't bother to help Harry with his trunk. He marched inside the house, not looking back at Harry. Harry didn't mind – after all, he wasn't expecting anything more from the man who had oppressed him for most of his childhood. Harry dragged his trunk from the car all the way to his room on the second floor. Dudley stood in the kitchen, watching him with mixed looks of intense dislike and utter delight at his struggle. Harry had half a mind to put a hex on Dudley, but thought better of it.

Life at the Dursleys was back to normal, if it could be called that. The Dursleys kept their distances from Harry, remembering all too well Dudley's incident with the Weasleys. Speaking of which, Harry had also noticed that the fireplace was removed, and was replaced with concrete bricks instead of wood. Obviously they didn't want a repeat… well, suffice it to say they felt safer with the fireplace gone.

A week later Harry woke up one morning to a pecking at his window. He leaped to the window and opened it, expecting a letter from Sirius. What he got was the next best thing – a letter from the Weasleys.

__

Harry,

How are things? Hope the Muggles haven't been treating you too bad. Anyway, mum and dad said to ask you if you could come spend the rest of the summer here. They don't reckon they'll bother with the Muggles this time though, as long as you tell them where you've gone. We'll send a portkey (sorry, it's the quickest way to get you here without apparating) as soon as we get your reply. Hope Pig isn't giving you too much trouble.

See you soon – Ron

Harry looked up at Pigwidgeon, who was fluttering around with excitement. "Calm down!" he said as the small owl flew around his room, twittering madly as usual. "Come here, I need you to take my answer back to Ron!"

The owl fluttered down on top of Harry's bed.

Harry seized his eagle-feather quill and turned the letter over and scribbled on the back:

__

Ron, got your message. I'll tell them in a minute. It's a good thing your mum and dad aren't coming here by floo powder, because the Muggles blocked up the fireplace with bricks. Can't wait to see you. – Harry

He folded this note up very small, and with immense difficulty, tied it to the tiny owl's leg as it hopped on the spot with excitement. The moment the note was secure, the owl was off again; it zoomed out of the window and out of sight.

"I need you to take a letter to Sirius," Harry said, turning to Hedwig.

The snow-white owl hooted in a dignified sort of a way.

Harry ripped off a small piece of parchment and wrote:

__

Hey Sirius. If you want to contact me, I'll be at my friend Ron Weasley's for the rest of the summer. Hope you're doing well. Say hello to Buckbeak for me. – Harry. 

He finished the letter and tied it to Hedwig's leg.

"I'll be at Ron's when you get back, all right?" Harry told her.

She nipped his finger affectionately, then spread her wings and soared out of the open window.

Harry flopped backwards onto his bed. He'd been spending most of the week in his room, sleeping and dreaming of Cho Chang, and basically only coming out of his room to eat. He avoided the Dursleys as much as they avoided him, so they didn't seem to mind too much.

Later that day, Harry received the letter from the Weasleys. There was a letter and a small leather pouch, which Harry assumed was the portkey. Harry read the letter first.

__

Harry, the portkey's in the little bag we sent along with Pig. Mum let Fred and George use this because she reckons the Muggles won't want to touch it if they find it. Send Pig back with this letter before you use it, and make sure you're touching all of your luggage. See you in a bit. – Ron.

Harry reattached the letter to Pig's leg, and sent him on his way. Curious as to what Ron meant, Harry looked in the little pouch he'd untied from the excitable little owl, and laughed. A Ton-Tongue Toffee. Ron was right: Dudley would never again even think of touching any candy that he found around Harry. _Poor Dudley,_ Harry thought, _first he gets a pig's tail on his bum, then he gets his tongue enlarged… _Harry shook his head.

__

Well, he deserved it. He corrected himself. It was true, too. For all the mean things that Dudley had done to Harry, a few harmless pranks weren't too much of a payback.

Harry went down to the kitchen, where the Dursleys spent most of their time. Uncle Vernon was reading a newspaper, while Aunt Petunia was at the sink. Dudley was nowhere to be seen.

"Er… Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked as politely as he could.

Uncle Vernon put down his paper very slowly, and glared at Harry for having interrupted him from his reading. "What is it?" he said nastily.

"Um… I'm gonna go spend the rest of the summer at the Weasley's house. You know, the family who came here last time," he added as an afterthought. "Is that okay with you?"

Uncle Vernon's eyes narrowed. "_They're_ coming here again, are they? Fine, you can go, _if_ they can pick you up _this time_," he smirked. Evidently, he thought that blocking up the fireplace would block the Weasleys from ever coming into his house again. Harry didn't bother to enlighten him any.

"Okay then. Um… thanks!" Harry grinned and dashed up to his room and gathered up all his stuff, not that it was much, anyway.

After he finished packing, he quickly went through a checklist in his head making sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Confident that he hadn't, he grabbed his trunk with one hand and opened up the little leather pouch. Harry braced himself for the journey, and then he grabbed the Ton-Tongue Toffee.

~~~~~~~~~~

Instantly, Harry felt an all too familiar jerk behind his navel. His feet left the ground, and he could feel himself speeding forward in a howl of wind and swirling color. His fingers were stuck to the toffee as it pulled him magnetically onward and then –

His feet slammed into the ground and he fell over. He felt his trunk hit the floor with a loud thud. He looked up and saw a cluster of red-haired grinning faces, all looking down at him.

Mr. Weasley stepped forward and pulled Harry to his feet and dusted him off.

"How are you, Harry?" he asked, beaming.

"Fine, sir–" Harry had the wind knocked out of him as Mrs. Weasley squeezed him from behind.

"Oh, Harry. I'm so happy to see you!" she said, her voice sounding a bit muffled.

When she finally let go of him, he laughed and gave Ron a big hug. "Good to see you again," said Ron.

"Same here," said Harry, patting his friend on the back.

The next hugs were given by Fred, George, Percy, Bill, and then Ginny, who blushed a deep shade of red when Harry gave her a big squeeze.

Harry was an only child, but he had always thought of the Weasleys as his family. They were the only true family he'd ever known, since the Dursleys were anything but, and his parents were brutally murdered by Lord Voldemort when he was only a year old. The Weasleys would always be family to Harry.

After the big, warm welcome, Harry went up to Ron's room and began to unpack his things.

"So, Ron, what's new with you guys?"

"Well, nothing much. Um… Dad got promoted."

"Really? That's good. What about Percy?"

"Well, we don't really know. He doesn't talk or even brag about anything anymore. He stays up in his room most of the time." Ron lowered his voice and whispered, "I think Penelope's been apparating to his room."

Harry grinned. Penelope Clearwater was Percy's girlfriend, and they had been dating for nearly three years, as far as Harry could tell.

"So what about you, Ron? Any girlfriends?" Harry teased.

"No. It's only been a week, anyway, Harry. But if you'd like, I could bring Ginny up…"

Harry threw a sock at him. "Shut up. She probably only likes me because I'm famous."

"She doesn't like you, Harry. She _looooooves_ you!" Ron said, catching Harry's eye. Ron was still grinning. He wasn't as protective of his little sister as her other brothers, especially around Harry. Harry was his best friend, and as far as he was concerned, was a good guy for his sister to have a crush on, even if it was unrequited.

"So what about Fred and George?"

"Well, mum and dad aren't so keen on them joining the Ministry, so she's finally letting them carry on with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Don't know where they got the money to go through with it, though."

Harry hid his smile. He'd given Fred and George his winnings from the Triwizard Tournament nearly two weeks ago.

"Oh yeah, and they also got me some new dress robes, too!" Ron continued. He held up the robes for Harry to see.

"Those are really nice, Ron!"

And they were. The robes were a deep midnight-black, with a red and orange flame pattern running up from the arms to the elbows.

Ron nearly blushed. "Thanks. I think they're neat, too."

"Yeah they are…"

Ron was silent for a while, smiling. "Guess what Fred and George got…" he finally blurted out.

Harry finished packing and turned to face Ron. "What?"

"They got three Nimbus 2000's!"

Harry's eyes widened in pleasant shock. So they _have_ put the money to good use, he thought.

"Wow. That's really cool of them."

"Yeah, I know. It's not a Firebolt or anything, but it's a lot better than those Cleansweeps we had. They got two for the both of them, and one for me." said Ron. "You wanna fly tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah, that would be great!" Harry replied. Apart from his friends, the thing Harry missed most about Hogwarts was Quidditch. Four balls, fourteen players, and all played on flying broomsticks. Flying was the only thing that had come naturally to Harry when he first became part of the wizarding world, and that was what kept him feeling like he was a part of it.

That said, he couldn't wait for tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~

Tomorrow took forever to arrive. But when it finally did, both Harry and Ron were ecstatic.

They jumped from their beds and ran down to the kitchen, where the delicious smell of eggs and bacon was awaiting them.

After they finished, Harry went out to help Ron and the twins de-gnome the garden. Harry remembered de-gnoming from nearly three years ago, when Ron, Fred, and George had rescued him from the Dursleys in Mr. Weasley's flying car, which was long disappeared into the Forbidden Forest.

After a few more chores inside the house, they ran back outside with their brooms. Ron was clutching his Nimbus 2000 eagerly, while Harry was already on his Firebolt the moment he stepped out of the house. Ron jumped on his broom and raced up into the air next to Harry.

"Fancy a game of wizard-hunt?" asked Ron.

"Wizard hunt? Is that like hide-and-seek?"

"Well, kind of. If whoever's 'it' finds the person who's hiding, then they have to try and hex them."

"Do they get to hex back?"

"No, they can only dodge and stuff. Then they have to get back to the safe zone, which will be… that tree over there," he said, pointing the tallest in a group of trees. "And then once you get there or get hexed, we switch. And only color change hexes and stuff. Nothing that'll make you fall off your broom."

"Aww… where's your sense of adventure?" teased Harry.

"Locked up in my room with all the other things my mum doesn't like. Now stop complaining, because… you're it! Go count to 20 or something." Ron zoomed off on his broom.

"Hey that's not fair!" grinned Harry. But he closed his eyes and started counting anyway. When he got to twenty, he opened his eyes; Ron was out of sight.

Harry sped off in a random direction. He didn't know where the good hiding spots were, since he'd never explored the field behind the Weasleys' house before. So Ron had an advantage over him.

But not for nothing was Harry the Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He had a knack for spotting small details, and after a while, he saw a bright orange speck in the trees to his left. Harry turned so that his back was to those trees – he wanted Ron to think that he hadn't spotted him yet. Very slowly, he flew in the other direction, and made a right turn.

Now the house was between him and the trees. He circled around very quietly and very quickly, careful not to give himself away. He made the final right turn and saw Ron. Ron had abandoned the cover of the trees and had foolishly crept forward, trying to trail Harry. Harry, however, was now right behind him.

Harry aimed his wand and yelled "_Coloratus puniceus!_"

A bright red beam shot out from the end of his wand, and Ron was swathed in a brilliant shade of red. Ron then turned around and looked at Harry. Harry couldn't tell if his face was red because of the spell, because he was embarrassed, or because he was mad. Probably all three.

Harry grinned at him, and said, "I guess you're it, then, huh?"

Ron narrowed his eyes at Harry. "One, two, three, four…"

Harry sped off. He circled back around the house and found a thick patch of trees nearby. _These might work,_ he thought. He sun around and slowly lowered to the ground, where he could use the bushes to cover himself better. He reached the floor and crouched down.

Harry breathed very quietly and very slowly and waited. He moved his head to the side a little so he could see the house better, where Ron was. Then something on the edge of his vision glinted. He started quickly, thinking it might be Ron managing to sneak up on him.

But it wasn't Ron. Harry turned his head and lowered his gaze to where the glint had come from. Then he saw it.

On the ground lay a curious object. Harry remembered the fake vampire teeth he'd seen Dudley wear one Halloween, and this… thing… looked similar. But not exactly. The teeth, which looked like a model of teeth, had the gums attached to it on the top and the bottom. It kind of looked like dentures (set in those silver gums), or those little wind-up chattering teeth. This… model… wasn't so little, though, and the canines were unusually long. Harry picked it up carefully and looked at it.

He flicked the teeth with one finger. "Ow!" he muttered to himself. The teeth were _hard_!

But for all its oddity, it was actually quite exquisite. The silver was just so… striking, and the teeth seemed so… real! It was, for something so strange, just so…

"Boys!" Mrs. Weasley's voice sounded from somewhere in the house.

Harry snapped out of his trance. He was surprised to notice that the teeth were now an inch away from his mouth, facing away and held as if he was about to put them on.

"Weird," Harry muttered. He didn't remember trying to put it on – one moment he was looking at it, and the next, it was inch away from his mouth. Harry tried to put the teeth into his pocket, but they wouldn't fit. He looked around to make sure nobody else was around, and wrapped it up in the end of his T-shirt. He mounted his broom and kicked off into the air. He had just slipped out of the cover of the trees when –

"_Coloratus puteulanus!_" Harry saw the bright blue beam coming from his right, and tried to dodge it, but it was to late. The beam washed over him, and seconds later, his entire body was covered in blue. Harry turned and saw Ron floating on his broom, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey no fair!"

"You never said 'time out'," said Ron, pretending to be innocent.

"Yeah but you heard your mum calling us."

Ron widened his eyes in mock surprise. "Was she? My mistake, then."

Harry tried to look mad, but to no avail. "It's alright. I'll get you back… when you least expect it." Harry smirked.

He waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, whatever."

They both laughed and then turned towards the house.

~~~~~~~~~~

After lunch, Harry and Ron went to Ron's room; Harry was careful to hide the teeth from view.

Harry showed the teeth to Ron. Ron picked up with a curious look on his face. "What is it?"

"I don't know," said Harry. "I found it in the grass."

"Weird," said Ron, turning it over in his hand.

"Yeah, I know! That's what I said!" said Harry.

Ron continued to look at it. Unlike Harry, however, he didn't seem entranced by the thing at all.

Harry looked at Ron, and suddenly felt very jealous and possessive. He reached leaned over and snatched it from Ron. "Gimme that!"

Ron looked at Harry, surprised and a little hurt. Harry was ashamed when he realized what he'd done. "Sorry, don't know why I did that." He offered it back to Ron. "Here."

Ron drew back from it. "Never mind. That thing gives me the creeps."

"Okay, then." Harry withdrew his hand. There was silence for a few moments as Harry turned it over a few times in his hand. "What do you think it is?"

"I don't know," said Ron. "But if anybody will, it's Hermione."

"Yeah, probably," Harry mused. "Can I borrow Pig?"

"We _could_ just show it to her on the train."

"Yeah, you're right. I think I'll just do that instead." Harry got up and put the teeth next to his bed. Well, it wasn't really his bed, but with the amount of time he was spending at the Weasleys, it could be called that.

"Let's go finish playing wizard hunt," suggested Ron.

A small but loud explosion sounded from somewhere else inside the house.

"Nah. I wanna see what Fred and George are making," Harry said, grinning. "Let's go help them test stuff."

Ron didn't look too pleased with the idea. "You can do that. I'll just watch…"

Harry shrugged. "Fine, wimp."

Ron stuck out his tongue at Harry, but followed him out of the room, anyway. _Just please,_ he thought, _just no spiders!_

~~~~~~~~~~

Harry tossed and turned in his bed. For the past three hours he had been trying to fall asleep, but he couldn't do it – too many things were on his mind.

Actually, there was only _one_ thing on his mind – the teeth. Every time he would close his eyes, he would see nothing but those teeth, and the vision of himself putting it on.

He threw the covers off and sat up. "What the hell is going on?" he muttered softly to himself.

He turned his head to the right and saw the teeth innocently sitting there on his nightstand. Harry leaned over and picked it up, then twirled it in his hands.

"What is it about you?" he mused. "Wait a minute, I'm talking to a pair of teeth." He laughed at himself. "Well, it _is_ a mouth… maybe it'll talk back."

Harry moved the to rows of teeth with his hands and imagined the teeth talking to him. "Hello, Harry Potter. Nice tooth see you. Hahahaha!"

He continued to study the teeth, then, on instinct, Harry popped the fangs into his mouth and fitted the teeth over his own.

Harry's body gave a sudden, violent jerk, and he nearly fell off the bed. Pain coursed throughout his whole body, a cold fire numbing his muscles and his brain. He fell backwards onto the bed, and his back arched upwards. He tried to scream, but no sound came out.

After nearly a minute of intense agony, the pain stopped and suddenly as it had started.

Harry ripped the fangs out of his mouth and threw it in a far corner of the room. He lay there, panting, unable to do anything else but breathe. _What the hell is that thing?_ he thought. He felt a salty taste in his mouth and spit into his hand – blood. He'd spat blood. He spit again, expecting to see more blood, but this time there was only spit. After a few more tries, Harry worked out that the blood was gone from his mouth.

Harry had no idea what this meant, but suspected Dark magic of some sort. The last time he'd felt pain that intense was when he was under the _Cruciatus_ curse. But he couldn't think too much about it now – the experience had worn him out.

His head lolled to one side and he passed out instantaneously.

~~~~~~~~~~

Virginia Weasley also tossed and turned that night, too. And there was _also_ one thing on _her_ mind – Harry.

Harry James Potter.

She kept seeing those bright, emerald green eyes, the eyes that matched her own, and his innocent and handsome face.

Her eyes opened in frustration at not being able to fall asleep. She sighed and blew her bangs out of her eyes.

__

Why won't you like me, Harry? she thought. _I don't like you because you're famous – I like you because you're handsome and wonderful and kind and a hero… Is that why you don't like me?_

Three years. For three years she'd had a crush on Harry. But now she was beginning to wonder, _Do crushes last _this_ long?_

~~~~~~~~~~

Harry woke late the next day, still aching from last night. Sitting up in the bed, he looked around and discovered that Ron was already gone, and the afternoon sun was streaming in from the windows.

__

How late did I sleep? he wondered.

He turned to the nightstand to grab his glasses, and noticed that it was laying on top of a letter – a letter with a Hogwarts seal on it.

__

Must have arrived while I was sleeping, thought Harry. He slipped his glasses onto his face and tore open the letter.

__

Dear Mr. Potter,

The new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock.

Due to recent events in the magical community, term will be slightly modified next year. We have no qualms that you adjust to the new conditions.

A list of books for next year is enclosed.

Yours sincerely,

Professor M. McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Harry turned the page to look at the course books he would need. The list read:

FIFTH-YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE:

Course Books:

__

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 by Miranda Goshawk

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The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, Volume 1 by Marcalo De'Unnero

__

Demons, Dementors, and other creatures of Darkness by Guen Wyvar

__

Advanced Defensive Charms and Spells by Montolio De'Brouche

__

Expecting the Unexpected by Cassandra Vablatsky

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Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by Anton Devir

Harry was not surprised to see that the course books were much more advanced this year.

__

I wonder who's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry pushed himself off the bed and went down to join the rest of the Weasleys.

~~~~~~~~~~

Outside, a faint wind rustled through the treetops. The sun shined brightly and the air was thick with surly (and flying) gnomes. A handsome boy with very dark hair and very green eyes joined the three redheaded boys who were already outside in the garden. A small girl looked on from a window at the boy with the dark hair and the green eyes and smiled.

It was a beautiful summer day, and no one would ever think that just the night before, something bad had happened. Something very, very bad.

*

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Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Ideas for the plot were inspired from the book _St. Peter's Wolf_, by Michael Cadnum.

Drop me a line! AIM: ET BURU

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Author's Notes: If you're going to flame me, at least tell me what I should do better (e.g., fix grammar, more dialogue, stick my head up my ass, stop writing fanfiction… you get the picture). One person already gave me advice, which motivated me to improve my writing. So… you could be the next person. Leave a review so I at least know you read it!!!

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Please Review!

   [1]: mailto:psylvr83@hotmail.com



	2. The Journey from Platform Nine and Three...

Shadow Moon ****

Shadow Moon

Title: Shadow Moon - **Category:** Suspense/Drama - **Spoilers:** First Four Books

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Author Name: Ocarion - **Author E-mail:** [psylvr83@hotmail.com][1] - **Rating:** R

****

Summary: Trouble always seems to find Harry Potter, and sometimes he finds it first. When Harry finds an ancient relic, its curse begins. Soon Harry finds himself transforming into something much more than man or animal. This is a story of love, hate, hope and sacrifice. This is the story of the Shadow Moon.

****

Chapter 2 – The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

Four weeks later, Harry and Ron were both piled into a black Ford Mustang, along with Ginny and the twins.

Mr. Weasley had brought the car home a week ago, explaining it as a perk that came with his promotion. Like the previous cars Mr. Weasley had owned, this one was obviously enchanted for space – how Mrs. Weasley managed to think otherwise, no one knew. Thus were four teenage boys able to sit comfortably in the back seat, while Ginny sat in the front with her father.

The five were being driven to Diagon Alley to buy their books for the next year, and also to do some minor back-to-school shopping.

Ron shifted in the uncomfortable silence, while the twins were busy scribbling on a small piece of parchment. Harry glanced at them.

__

Probably something for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, he thought.

His gaze then fell to Ron, who was looking at him expectantly.

"What's up?" he asked.

Harry knew Ron was trying to start a conversation to break the silence, but the silence was actually very nice for Harry – a change from the busy life in the Burrow.

"Nothing much," Harry shrugged, and then turned his head and continued to stare out the window. He felt really guilty about ignoring his best friend, but Harry knew Ron would talk his ear off once they got back to the burrow. Besides, Harry had taken up a habit of staring off into space – it helped him clear his thoughts.

"Oh," Ron replied, "okay." He sounded a little disappointed and sat in silence for the rest of the trip.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Here we are," said Mr. Weasley, breaking the silence with his cheery, good-natured voice.

They had finally arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny scrambled out of the car.

"I'll be back in an hour! Don't buy any junk – just get your books for school!" Mr. Weasley called before driving away. This was quite amusing for Harry, because Mr. Weasley had built up a reputation for collecting junk. Harry grinned and followed the twins.

The five proceeded through the pub and into the backyard. George got out his wand and tapped the third brick form the left above the trash bin. They stood back as the archway into Diagon Alley opened in the wall to reveal the long, cobbled street, which was packed with the most fascinating wizarding shops in the world.

"Let's get some ice cream. I'm _starving_!" said Fred. George nodded in agreement.

"I thought dad said no junk?" said Ginny.

"Aww, Gin… you're starting to sound like Perce," Ron complained.

Ginny's face turned into a deep shade of red. "Fine, then," she replied, "ice cream it is, then." She trudged after the rest of the boys as they made their way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.

Fred and George treated them all to the ice cream, even though Harry had insisted on buying his own.

"Come on," they'd said, "it's the least we can do." Harry had then been forced to oblige them with a "yes".

They'd exited the parlor a few minutes later, with ice cream dripping down their hands in the hot sun.

Harry and the four Weasley kids soon arrived at Flourish and Blotts. Harry smiled as he remembered two years ago, when _The Monster Book of Monsters_ had caused quite a commotion. The store was not as crowded as it usually was, but then again, most children waited until the last minute to get their books. In nearly two weeks, the store would be packed with a hundred students rushing to get their books.

The assistant manager of the shop hurried over to them. "Hogwarts, right?"

The group nodded.

"Alright then," said the manager. "All your books are on the back shelf. Help yourselves!" she smiled, and then returned to the counter at the front of the store.

Harry followed the rest of the group to the back of the shop.

Twenty minutes later they all emerged from Flourish and Blotts, their books stacked in their arms.

"I reckon that's it then," said Ron as they stood in front of the shop.

"Hang on, we need to stop at the Magical Menagerie," George said.

"Yeah," Fred continued, "Lee Jordan has a new pet snake. He said we can hold it if we feed it."

Ginny's face contorted in disgust. Ron and Harry didn't seem to care at all. Ginny had never liked her brothers' cruelty to animals. A few years ago, she'd heard stories about how they tied a Filibuster Firework to a salamander. They thought it was pretty funny. Ginny didn't.

"Do we really have to?" she whined.

"Come on, Gin," said George, "it'll be lots of fun!"

Ginny didn't look like she believed him, but ended up going with them to the Magical Menagerie anyway. Fred and George bought a very adorable white mouse, who had no idea of the horrible fate that awaited it. Ginny, however, seemed quite taken with it. She was letting it run up from her hand to her neck, and then around to her other hand.

"Ginny…" started Ron, "it's not a pet or anything. Fred and George are just gonna feed it to the snake in a few weeks."

"Well, at least I'm letting him live his last days in happiness," she countered.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Fine."

They were headed back to the Leaky Cauldron when a large black dog suddenly darted out from behind one of the many buildings. Ginny screamed in fright.

The dog's ears perked up and it turned towards them. Its cold, black eyes focused on Ginny, and it growled, showing off large, pointed teeth. It suddenly charged towards the group, and Ginny ran. Harry, Ron, and twins dropped their books, pulled out their wands simultaneously, and aimed it at the creature.

They were too slow. It gave a great leap and bowled them over, knocking their wands out of their hands.

Ginny continued to run, too scared to think rationally and pull out her own wand. It was gaining on her with every stride, taking four steps for every two of hers. 

Harry groaned and rolled over on the pavement. He glanced in Ginny's direction, and swore out loud.

__

Ginny! his mind shouted.

He quickly pushed himself to his feet and rushed after the beast. Somehow, inexplicably, he gained on it. He noticed the slight twitch in its hind legs, alerting him that it was about to leap – and if it did, it would have Ginny. On instinct, Harry dived towards the dog, and brought it crashing to the floor, with him on top of it. He wrapped his wiry arms around the hound's thick abdomen.

Stunned onlookers watched as the two rolled around on the floor. Unfortunately, no one had the sense to use a wand – they stared, as people have a habit of doing when something bad is happening.

The two then separated, and faced each other. The dog bared its teeth and growled.

Harry growled back.

It was difficult to tell whose eyes held more fierceness, and whose face showed more ferocity. The beast looked relatively uninjured compared to Harry, whose arms and face were covered in claw marks and scratches.

Only someone looking closely would have noticed the change that then came over Harry. He twitched slightly, and his pupils dilated. While no one noticed the change in Harry, though, they definitely noticed the actions of the dog.

The dog had stopped growling, and the look in that came into its eyes was unmistakable. It was afraid.

Harry didn't notice – his thoughts weren't exactly human at the moment. _Die die go away and die. Go away go away,_ Harry growled. _Leave leave now._

Harry lunged at the dog, but it turned quickly and bounded away. He began to chase after it, but then his legs gave out and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Harry. Harry!" Ron slapped Harry lightly as he knelt over his prone body. "Harry. Wake up!"

Ginny stood to one side, a mixture of fright and gratitude on her red face. Fred and George had gone over to retrieve the wands, and were just now returning.

A few seconds, later, Harry opened his eyes. It was blurry for a moment, then Ron's face faded into view. "You all right?"

"Yeah," said Harry groggily. "What happened?"

"You fainted, wonder-boy." Ron was grinning.

Harry didn't respond to this. He struggled to his feet, and then noticed the small crowd staring at him. "I'm okay," he called.

Harry shook his head once, as if trying to clear his mind, and got his wand from George. He mumbled thanks, and then continued walking in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron.

The other four stared at his back in amazement. He was acting like nothing had just happened – of course, for Harry Potter, that probably_ was_ nothing.

Harry paused and turned slightly. "You coming?" he called to them.

They nodded and hurried to catch up with him.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next two and a half weeks passed without incident, and the first of September finally arrived. It was a cold and gray morning, and the clouds had spread across the sky, covering the normal blue with a depressing grey blur.

Ron and Harry woke up around the same time and headed down to breakfast. Mr. Weasley, as usual, was reading the _Daily Prophet_ with an annoyed look on his face. Fred and George were making disgusting faces at each other while Mrs. Weasley's back was turned, and Ginny kept shooting furtive glances at Harry from across the table.

After breakfast, the whole group loaded their already packed trunks into the car, and left for King's Cross Station. After about two hours they arrived at the station, said their goodbyes, and got onto the train.

Ron, Harry, and Ginny headed down the corridor and got into the compartment at the end of the train. Fred and George had already disappeared, presumably to go see Lee Jordan's new pet snake. Lee, like Hagrid, was deeply intrigued by what other people called "dangerous" or "disgusting" animals.

A moment before the train sped off, Hermione burst in to the compartment, looking very flustered and a bit flushed. She had nearly missed the train.

"Hermione!" called Ron and Harry in unison.

"Hi guys!" she said, her face breaking into a grin. "Hi Ginny!"

"Hi there, Hermione," said Ginny.

Hermione grabbed a seat in the compartment.

"How was your summer?" she asked them.

"Fun. Harry stayed at the Burrow for most of the summer," said Ron.

"Wow, that must have been fun!"

"As always," Harry grinned.

The four of them fell to talking about Harry's stay at Ron's house, and then about Hermione's vacation in Italy, when the door opened, and a very unwelcome visitor stood in the doorway.

Draco Malfoy.

"Hello, Potter," he drawled, his icy gaze fixing on Harry. Harry glared at him. "I see you're still hanging around Weasley and the Mudblood. And your _girlfriend_," he added. Ginny's ears went pink.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" said Hermione irritably.

"I just wanted to show off my new pet," said Draco. He pulled out his hand from behind his back and held up a toad. "Like it, Granger? Looks just like you."

Ron's fiery temper got the best of him and he lunged at Draco, but Draco threw the toad in his face. The toad dropped to the floor, and landed near Ron's feet. Ron looked at Draco with a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

"You know what I think about your stupid pet, Malfoy?"

"What?"

"THIS!" Ron shouted, and lifted up a leg, and brought it smashing down on Draco's toad. There was a sickening _SPLAT_ and its remains squished out from the bottom of Ron's shoe.

Hermione gasped, Harry shivered, and Ginny fainted. Draco, however, smiled. "Thank you, Weasley."

This was obviously not the reaction Ron had expected. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

His question was answered when Neville's voice floated in from the corridor. "Has anyone seen my toad?"

Ron's stomach twisted into a knot. Harry and Hermione, stared back and forth between Draco and Ron, their faces wearing identical expressions of horror.

"Hey, Longbottom!" Draco called. Neville turned to him. "I found your toad!"

Neville walked over cautiously. He looked to Draco, and then followed his eyes to the mess on the floor. He saw the mess bubbling out from beneath Ron's shoe and seeping into the floor. The discolored blood was spreading throughout the compartment and emitting a nasty smell.

Neville's eyes met Ron's once before he turned suddenly and ran through the corridor. Draco turned to Ron, his eyes glittering with malice. "Like I said, Weasley, thanks. You're the best friend I've ever had." He turned and followed Neville, leaving the three staring down the corridor in stunned horror.

Soon Draco caught up with Neville, and pulled him into an empty compartment. "Hold on, Longbottom," he said.

Neville looked up at Draco with tears silently streaming down his face. "What do you want Malfoy? Can't you just leave me alone for once in your life?"

"Shut up, Longbottom, and listen to me," he said angrily. "I always knew that Weasley wasn't the best person to trust, but I never thought he'd betray his own friend." Neville's eyes looked up and he looked slightly startled. "But I can help you get back at him." Draco had a wild gleam in his eyes as he spoke.

Neville squirmed. "I can't, Malfoy."

"Why?"

"I… I just can't," he said, still shaken from before.

"I understand. You're a coward," Draco spat nastily. "That's kind of funny, considering your mother and f–"

Neville lunged at Draco before he could finish and landed on top of him in the small compartment, pinning him to the floor with his own weight. Neville beat his clenched fists Draco's chest, yet it was his eyes that were overflowing with tears.

Draco had one hand up trying to cover his face, and the other one slowly reaching for his wand. His fingers finally closed around the wooden handle, and he pulled it out from underneath him. "_Deccio!_" he yelled.

Neville's body flew upwards and hit the low ceiling of the compartment, then fell back to floor with a thud. He groaned, barely conscious.

Draco could feel the bruises forming on his chest and winced. He pointed his wand at the barely moving form on the floor. "_Enervate._" Neville's eyes flickered open and he stared at Draco. "What the hell do you think you were doing, Longbottom?"

Neville remained stubbornly silent.

"The whole school knows how useless you are. Potter and Granger were the only ones who put up with you. Even that git Weasley couldn't stand you. You're nothing, Longbottom, nothing."

"I'm still worth twelve of you, Malfoy," Neville said slowly.

Draco smirked. "Are you really? _Suffoco._" A dark red beam shot out from the end of his wand and hit Neville in the chest. Neville writhed and clutched at his heart madly, as if somehow pulling it out would ease the intense pain.

Draco knelt down close to the writhing boy and whispered, "I can make it stop, you know. Two words, and it all goes away. Just say the words. Tell me to stop. Beg me."

Neville ignored him, and the pain grew more and more intense. It felt like his heart was about to explode. He didn't know how much longer he could take it, but he wouldn't give in to Malfoy anymore. He wouldn't.

"Say it!" pressed Malfoy.

A hundred hammers pounded away at he edges of Neville's heart. His face was slowly turning purple, and then blue.

Draco kicked him in the side. "Stubborn git. _Finite Incantatem,_" he said lazily. Neville stopped writhing, and he lay on the floor gasping for air. His breaths were coming in short, halting breaths now, and the color was slowly returning to his cheeks. He lay there coughing on the floor. "You know, Longbottom, you really are worthless," he said before he kicked open the door and left.

Neville didn't move. "No I'm not," he said, even though Malfoy had already left. He just needed to hear himself say it at least once. "No I'm not."

~~~~~~~~~~

Half an hour later, Harry stepped into the compartment where Neville was sitting, eyes fixated on the floor.

"Um… are you okay?" he asked, sitting down opposite Neville.

Neville's didn't bother to look at Harry when he spoke. "Yeah," he said unconvincingly.

"You know, Ron thought it was Malfoy's toad…" Harry started.

"I figured it was something like that. Just when I thought I couldn't bring any more shame to my family…" Neville's voice was half-sad, half-apathetic. He seemed not to care what had just happened.

"You didn't. It's not your fault, Neville."

Neville sighed. "Get out, Harry. Just leave."

Harry was shocked. "W-What?"

"I said leave. I can't be around you right now."

Harry was hurt and wondered to himself, _What did I do?_ He started towards the compartment door.

"Remind me to tell you about my Great Uncle Algie sometime," Neville said to his back.

Harry looked back at him. "Okay."

But Neville wasn't listening. He was sitting in the compartment, staring out the window.

*

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Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Ideas for the plot were inspired from the book _St. Peter's Wolf_, by Michael Cadnum.

Drop me a line! AIM: ET BURU

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Author's Notes: Kind of short, eh? Sorry! If Neville seems a little bit out of character at the moment, don't worry – there's a reason. You'll find out why in a few chapters. Ron does have a temper, though, doesn't he?

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Please Review!

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